Vol. 4, No. 5, May 2007
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Natural Wonders: Discovering South Jersey
Beyond the Boardwalk and casinos lies a rich natural habitat revealing what once was.
Long before the casinos rose along its shoreline, and well before visitors strolled its now-famous Boardwalk, Atlantic City was hardly a picture postcard of a tourist destination. With its swamps and dunes, Absecon Island—named Absegami or “Little Sea Water” by the Lenni Lenape Indians—was home to more black snakes and mosquitoes than tourists. It was also home to an abundance of other wildlife.
Great Egg Harbor, a few miles northwest of the city, is a case in point. The harbor got its name from the bird and waterfowl eggs that blanketed its shores. When Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey discovered the inlet in 1614, he called it “Eyren Haven,” or Egg Harbor.
Over the years, the Atlantic City region became known for its sandy beaches, crazy convention stunts, wealth of activity, and finally, for casino gaming. But nature lovers can still find plenty to admire today in the “real” Atlantic City and its surroundings.
“It’s hard for the ordinary person in a car to get a sense of what the natural region offers,” says Jack Connor, natural history author and professor of writing at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. “But the habitat and ecology are richer than people realize. If you wanted to get a sense of what the barrier islands used to look like, walk to the north end of Brigantine Island. Park your car and just start walking. Or take your boat out. It’s now a protected section. You can also see it driving down Route 30 to and from Atlantic City.”
According to Cindy O’Connor, executive director of the Wetlands Institute, “No matter how you get to Atlantic City and the barrier islands, you have to cross over the wetlands, also known as the salt marshes.” “They are such a vital part of a coastal habitat,” she explains.
“They provide the nursery for 80 percent of the fish and are home to 250 species of birds. When you’re walking on the Boardwalk or the beach or driving in over the causeway, you can see some of those beautiful herons and egrets. This spring, the ospreys are returning from Brazil and their nests can be seen from any of the causeways and along the Garden State Parkway.”
For nature lovers, or just those of you wanting to take a peek at the “natural” Atlantic City region, there’s plenty of opportunity. Here are highlights of where to look.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
A favorite destination for naturalist and writer Jack Connor is Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, N.J. Forsythe is one of more than 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Located about 20 minutes from Atlantic City, the refuge provides 43,000 protected acres for migratory birds.
“We have tens of thousands of ducks that come down from Canada each year,” says Connor. “The best place to see them is the Forsythe refuge. It’s internationally known. I bring my students down there.”
“May is a peak time for bird migration,” says Art Webster, chief of visitor services at Forsythe. “That’s where we have the greatest species diversity coming through. They drop in here to rest. There is good cover for them and a lot of food in the forest. You can see colorful warblers in the forest, and a lot of shore birds and wading birds visit that time of year. You can also see deer in the morning and late afternoon, and red fox and muskrat. Later on, as the weather warms up, there will be turtles basking in the sun on logs and rocks.”
Visitors can tour the refuge by car on several driving paths, or by foot. “There are a variety of different loops,” explains Webster. “The longest loop is from headquarters. It’s about five miles. We also have a new trail called the Songbird Trail. From end to end, it’s about 2.3 miles, and it’s a great place to see migratory songbirds.”
The refuge also offers two observation towers and one observation deck. The deck is accessible to wheelchairs, and is for people who prefer not to climb. The observation areas have spotting scopes, and visitors can pick up a field guide to wildlife at the nature store on premises. Proceeds go to Friends of Forsythe.
There are special events throughout the year, including bird walks, lectures and other activities. For more information, visit www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe.
Wharton State Forest
Stretching over Atlantic, Burlington and Camden Counties, Wharton State Forest offers plenty of places to view wildlife. It covers more than 110,000 acres in the heart of the Pine Barrens, and is the largest single tract of land in the New Jersey Park System.
Here you’ll find bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, marsh hawks, ospreys, great blue herons, swans, screech owls, great-horned owls, bluebirds, hummingbirds, purple martins, goldfinch, turkeys, beavers, river otters, fox and deer. The Batsto Natural Area and the Oswego Natural Area are specific places where rare plant and animal species may be seen. These natural areas also show the wide variety of pinelands habitats, including swamps and floodplains.
Throughout the forest are “rivers and streams for canoeing, hiking trails… and miles of unpaved roads for mountain biking and horseback riding,” according to the website. There are also “numerous lakes, ponds and fields ideal for wildlife observation.”
For more information, visit www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.
Atlantic City Aquarium
"New Jersey’s waters are clean and thriving with life,” according to Jack Keith, executive director of the Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation, which operates the Atlantic City Aquarium and Historic Gardner’s Basin. “The Atlantic City Aquarium gives visitors an opportunity to learn something about the ocean environment and the animals that live here.”
Housed in a 14,500-square-foot, cedar-clad building, the aquarium features 29,800 gallons of live exhibits and more than 100 varieties of fish and marine animals. Highlights include cow-nose rays, sharks, jellyfish, sea horses, drum fish, stripers, sea bass, turtles, foot-long millipedes, and more. A tidal pool touch tank provides a hands-on opportunity to handle horseshoe crabs and other invertebrates. A new upstairs touch tank features baby rays and baby sharks.
“People are amazed when they come in and see the exhibits,” says Keith. “I think that many people have an incorrect perception of New Jersey’s marine life. The waters here are incredibly clean and fertile.”
Visitors can get a unique glimpse of ocean life during the weekly “Dive and Dine” show on Saturdays. A scuba-equipped diver feeds the fish as she narrates and takes questions from the audience.
In addition to the exhibits, the aquarium features indoor and outdoor observation decks around the building. For more information, visit www.acaquarium.com.
Wetlands Institute
Located in Middle Township near Stone Harbor and historic Cape May, the Wetlands Institute was founded in 1969 by Herbert Mills, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund. Its goal is to promote appreciation of wetlands and coastal ecosystems, and it’s “the natural place for fun,” according to Executive Director Cindy O’Connor.
“We’re housed in a cedar shake building designed to resemble a turn-of-the-century Coast Guard station,” she explains. “We overlook 6,000 acres of coastal wetlands. It’s a great place to learn about life in the salt marsh environment. Throughout the year, you can see many species of birds from our viewing areas.”
A camera in the institute’s lecture room is trained on a nest of osprey to allow a private peek into the birds’ lives. The building is surrounded by decks and walking paths to allow multiple views of Mother Nature. A short quarter-mile walk brings you to the salt marsh, where you can see, and hear, the world’s largest colony of laughing gulls. Visitors can also enjoy a heritage plant garden, aquarium tanks filled with fish native to the wetlands, interactive exhibits and a Terrapin Station.
“The terrapin exhibit is about the local turtles and their plight,” says O’Connor. “They’re sadly often run over by cars, and we’re working to educate people. We also have darling hatchings and live turtles, which are popular with visitors.”
The Wetlands Institute also offers lectures, guided tours, summer programs, field trips, and other programs for all ages. For more information, visit www.wetlandsinstitute.org.
Cape May Whale Watching
Whales and dolphins abound in southern New Jersey’s waters, and several tours offer opportunities to see them up close.
The Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center features a refurbished vessel, powered by the center's Captain Ron, who helped pioneer whale watching in Cape May years ago. The boat also has a sophisticated whale and marine mammal tracking system that keeps tabs on the whales’ whereabouts.
The Cape May Whale Watcher claims “the largest (110-foot), fastest marine mammal sightings boat in New Jersey.” They guarantee marine mammal sightings or offer a free second ride. The Whale Watcher offers three daily narrated trips from March through December.
The Starlight Fleet Whale and Dolphin Watching takes sightseers on three different dolphin and whale-watching trips each day. The most popular trip is the Sunset Buffet Dolphin Watching Cruise, which features a gourmet buffet.
And of course, you can often see dolphins from the Atlantic City beach and Boardwalk, according to Stockton’s Connor. “Atlantic County has a number of natural resources,” he says. “We’re losing green areas, but there are a lot of protected spaces as well. Nature is all around us and there is still a lot to see.”
Annual World Series of Birding
Like baseball’s World Series, nature enthusiasts go to bat at the Annual World Series of Birding, an international fundraising event sponsored locally by the New Jersey Audubon Society. Described as a cross between a scavenger hunt, a fraternity all-nighter and a fundraiser, the challenge is to see how many different bird species you can spot in 24 hours. The prize is local acclaim while earning necessary funding for the Audubon Society.
Starting at midnight on May 12, participants watch for birds in four-person teams. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $7 million, which has benefited a host of environmental programs. Bird watchers can expect to view an array of wildlife ranging from hooded warblers to bald eagles. Some unusual birds seen around the South Jersey area in recent events have been the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the purple gallinule. The most commonly seen bird soaring over the salt marsh is the laughing gull, while the more wooded areas are a popular spot for the Carolina chickadee or the tufted tit mouse.
Bird-watching essentials consist of binoculars and a field guide. Bert Hixon, Cape May Bird Observatory’s bookstore naturalist, suggests The SIBLEY Field Guide to Birds, which identifies and describes more than 810 birds in explicit detail.
For the World Series of Birding beginners or more laid-back participants, Century Run is a team created to tour Cape May County in a luxury tour bus searching for nesting creatures. The more advanced teams stock up with a full tank of gas, a mapped-out sightseeing plan and some good hiking boots. Bug spray and sunscreen are handy extras depending on the habitat.
The World Series of Birding is conducted rain or shine. All the proceeds of the friendly competition go to conservation of wildlife. Winners will be highlighted at an awards brunch. For more information, visit www.njaudubon.org.
